Ashes, Ashes
by JadeOokami
Summary: One-shot booklet that goes with They All Fall Down, another HPxDGM fanfiction. Missing scenes, different POVs to a scene, or just one-shots that fit with the universe.
1. First Impressions

Title: Ashes, Ashes

Author: JadeOokami

Category: Harry Potter and D. Gray Man crossover

Genre: Action/Adventure, friendship

Summery: This is just a one-shot booklet that contains one-shots that I write to go along with my other story They All Fall Down. I was surprised by how many people said they were interested in the idea, so I thought I'd try it out. But this is just something for fun, or at least, something that isn't really something that can be 'finished'. The one-shots might not always be in chronological order; some might even take place until after the story itself was finished. I have no way of knowing how many of them there will be – maybe very few, maybe not. And to make up for TAFD being so Harry-centric, most of these will probably be about the exorcists. Probably. XD

Timeline: Before/during the 7th Harry Potter book, and in D. Gray Man, not long after General Cross disappears/dies/whatever. (Possible spoilers from before and definitely after these))

_Updating schedule_: None. This isn't meant to be a serious story like They All Fall Down was – this might only be one or two chapters, I really don't know. It'll be updated whenever I write a new one.

**Disclaimer:** Ha. No. If I owned DGM, it would not be on hiatus for the second/third/hundredth time. And if I owned HP, I'd be rich, and I can tell you that I am very much poor. So, I own neither, and there's nothing to sue me for (literally).

Notes: So. I know it's been several months since the story ended and I asked about this one-shot thing, but I felt kind of bad, now that I can actually write again, after how many people said they wanted one. So. I'll give it a shot. Anybody who has any suggestions about what they'd like to see/have a little one-shot about is extremely welcome to mention it in a review! (And haha at the title of the booklet. Get it? XDDD Lame, I know.)

This one is at the very beginning of TAFD – it's basically just the very beginning of the first chapter from Allen's POV (And also, obviously, his first impression).

This part of London was one of the most boring places Allen had been in for a long time.

It was large, with a lot of people, but he'd been almost all around the world. He'd seen all kinds of places and been in all kinds of towns. He'd been in a circus for the longest time when he was younger, which was, of course, where he'd met Mana. So a neighborhood like this one, where everything was the same, was really very _boring_.

All the houses were the same. The streets had the same layout, different names. The only real difference was what the home owners did with their front yard and it seemed that most of them did absolutely nothing.

"It's like everyone here _prides_ themselves at being the same," Lavi observed thoughtfully as his footsteps made the lightest of noises against the sidewalk. He and Kanda walked side by side just behind Allen. They hadn't been walking for all too long of a time, having taken trains and whatnot to get there. Their newest mission had been one that seemed to promise interesting things, but also troublesome things.

Allen was pretty sure that he hasn't been imagining it when Komui had subtly warned them to keep their eyes out – and not only for Akuma, or for the supposed 'wizards' on the opposite side of the war it seemed that they were getting involved with.

"If that's how the boy's family is, I would not be surprised if that were the case with others around here," Kanda reminded them of their mission file – they didn't usually _get_ mission files, but this one was so potentially big and had required a lot of research before they'd even officially begun. One of the files had been on the aunt, uncle, and cousin of the boy that they had been asked and ordered to assist. How anybody could be so willfully dumb, Allen wasn't sure, but according to the files, they weren't exactly the most pleasant or the most smartest of people.

There was an old woman out on her porch as they passed, black cloaks swishing past them. She eyed them with a small frown, watching them closer than was strictly called for. Allen carefully avoided letting her see his face. The moment she looked away, he pulled his hood up.

He'd long since gotten over being uncomfortable when people stared at him, or that habit of his where he use to pull his hood up to cover his hair because he didn't like it. But right now, it would be better if he avoided drawing extra attention to himself. Their cloaks were already strange enough, and that was counting how 'unique' they looked individually.

He heard the whirring and felt the warmth behind his eye before it actually activated. It was a definite good thing, then, that he had pulled his hood up. His vision zoomed and swooped over houses and briefly narrowed onto two figures walking up to a house that looked like all the rest before returning to 'normal'. Everything had a distinctly gray tinge to it as he looked up and could see the spots of the akuma in his cursed eye like a radar.

"I see two of them," He said, hesitating to say Akuma so freely on the streets.

"Two?" Lavi repeated with a frown, "The kid's house isn't but a couple streets away. Do you think they could be trying to attack him already? Doesn't he have another week to go until they're suppose to be able to reach them?"

"I don't know," Allen lightly touched his left arm, "But if it is an attack, then I guess we have impeccable timing."

"The hero's always do," Lavi laughed as they broke into a jog, then a run.

Allen kept an eye out for any signs of other Akuma in the neighborhood, sensitive to the fact that he didn't know whether the house they were heading towards was their target's or not. It wouldn't be good if this was just a distraction.

Upon pointing out the house that had the Akuma inside, which was somehow even more 'normal' looking than all the others, as if the owners had put in major effort to do just that, Lavi confirmed the address as the same one they'd been heading for in the first place.

They didn't want to be seen sneaking up on someone else's property – they looked strange enough that people were likely to think things were twice as bad as they really were. He motioned to Kanda and Lavi to take certain positions around the house, though the moment they stepped onto the property, Allen felt the strangest tingling. His eye deactivated, which startled him. This was the correct house; There should be no way the Akuma themselves could have just disappeared.

They waited patiently, but it seemed they did not need to wait long. It was alarming when the shadows on the street began to move, and then to raise up like walls of shadow. They formed a dome over the house, one street lamp shedding light. It did not _seem_ to be made out of dark matter, but he could not be sure.

Then Kanda seemed to become alarmed by something he could see through the front window, and next thing Allen knew, Mugan had become a flying silver missile. He was alarmed, as he didn't think he'd ever seen the Innocence sword actually _thrown_ before.

The front window shattered, but the sword kept going. Kanda's aim must have been impeccable, for Allen heard an Akuma's scream from inside, then the bright flare of an explosion, which briefly lit what he could see of the room and the grass immediately in front of it.

But there had been two Akuma, not one, and so he moved quickly. It was easy enough jump to the windowsill, where he crouched down and took a moment to not only balance himself, but to take a look inside.

The shattered glass reflected the light from the street lamp outside up onto the ceiling in an interesting array of colors. The living room was as normal as a living room could be, complete with a boring and slightly cliché flower theme. The shadows seemed darker here. He could see a very fat man laying on the ground, as if he'd been struck and fallen there. A tall, skinny, unattractive woman was knelt by his side along with a young boy who was also quite obese. All three were very frightened, and stared at him like he had just entered their privet sanctuary and brought Armageddon in with him.

There was another boy there. It was just as he was observing the other that his cursed eye flared to life again. He saw the boy, who looked maybe a little older than himself, adopt an expression of alarm and shift to his heels and start to scoot away. Smart reaction. The boy was exactly as he had been in the photo, but there were a lot of things you could tell about a person that you couldn't see in a photo.

Allen could immediately tell that the other was quick thinking and adaptable. He seemed to be at least somewhat smart, quick on his feet. He seemed reliable. And not someone to freeze up in the face of danger, which was a very good thing. But also a bit reckless, though he'd known as much from what he'd been told.

It was all he could tell from the brief glance in the others direction, but it was enough. He didn't have to attend to the other right now. He had something more important to do.

He let himself drop lightly from the windowsill, his Innocence activating along the way. He felt calm and warm and ready. He knew the exact location of the Akuma hiding in the shadows. And he wondered what kind of an adventure would lead from this small, dark, boring living room.


	2. Old Eyes

A/N: When I was trying to think up another idea, I cam across this one. As I write these, I'm rereading TAFD and _trying_ to fixing my spelling errors and rewrite some small parts so that it flows better (Or just adding a line or two). So usually I'll probably get inspiration from that XDDD (And I notice that Fanfiction doesn't let me use my kind of line-break things anymore D: Whyyy~?)

This one-shot is right after Harry gets back to the Weasly house in the beginning. Mrs. Weasly gets a glance at the exorcists a little more closely after they've cleaned up.

Molly Weasly loved her children very much. Sometimes her love extended into others. She couldn't stand seeing children as a whole mistreated or given just too much responsibility, like poor Harry.

And she did love Harry very much also. He was like her son in all but blood, or at least she liked to think so. When she received the call that Harry's muggle home was under attack – under an apparently _successful_ attack, though she did not know quite how that was possible quite yet – she thought she might have a heart attack. Then of course she remembered that she couldn't afford to do something like that, and pulled herself together.

When the barrier had fallen, she had had a hard time taking everything in. Monsters the likes of which she'd never seen before, a half destroyed house and torn up yard, explosion craters and scorch marks everywhere. It had look exactly like a muggle war zone, and not even that different from a magical one.

She'd first seen the three saviors as people in black cloaks, her mind didn't immediately take in more than that. She saw no difference in height or in looks. Just impersonal, black cloaks that covered them completely. Later on, she'd realized that at the least, the strangers didn't appear to be very old.

Though, she'd never expected that two of the three were barely adults and a third was a year off completely.

She still marveling over it all as she slowly made her way upstairs. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but felt, even in her overprotective attitude, that she should not ask most of them. She wanted to know about their parents, their family. Where were they? Did they consent to this? She didn't understand what all being an exorcist entailed quite yet, but she'd already seen far more than she was comfortable with.

She heard them arguing as she came close to the door. They were using the only spare bedroom she had, which was one of the boy's old rooms, and for a moment worried it was something very important. But as she came close, she had to smile when she realized that it was a rather silly argument. Just like the boys that they would have otherwise appeared they were, had she not seen the kind of things they could pull off.

She knocked twice in quick succession and then opened the door. Manners would dictate she wait until they said she could answer, but she knew about teenage boys.

Allen was sprawled out over one of the beds as if he'd tripped, hand suspended in midair as he reached for Lavi, who stood on the other side of the bed holding a normal, white, button-up shirt like a trophy. Both were frozen and staring at her, startled. A quick look showed that Kanda was not there.

"Ah," Lavi grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Allen lunged forward, snatching the shirt and muttering,

"Stupid Lavi!" before crawling backwards across the bed again and standing.

Molly was struck stupid by the sight of the corded muscles, sharp shoulder blades, and _scars_ crisscrossing over the youth's back. His shoulders were deceptively broad, and the many scars he had gave her an intense insight into his life.

She remembered when her children fell and scraped a knee or otherwise got hurt; it was bound to happen in a magical household. She'd kissed it better and carefully tried to put in safety measures to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

Was there ever anyone there to kiss _his_ wounds better, she wondered?

"I just came in to see if there was anything you needed," She said, covering up the way her heart reached out for them, "I'm making some late night snacks also. You're more than welcome to help yourselves."

"You made something to eat?" Allen asked with more enthusiasm than she'd so far ever seen from him. Now that she could see him clearly, his hair really was pure white (And it wasn't a natural color either, though he didn't seem like the type to bleach it). That scar of his was startling, really; She could sense the darkness of a curse all over it. It was one of the most powerful she'd felt in her life, and she wondered how he'd received it.

"Of course," She smiled widely, "I know several of us will be up quite a while – I myself, at least, will be, and I worked up quite an appetite. I thought, why not make something for anyone who wants some?"

It was only a half-lie. She wasn't really very hungry, though she'd prepared some in case she did later. There was no question about whether she'd be sleeping tonight. And both of these boys seemed far, _far_ too skinny.

"That sounds wonderful," Allen said with a smile that lit up his face. She was surprised to note that he was a very cute child.

"Count me in," Lavi added with another grin, "We didn't eat much today. Well, I didn't."

"Was the shower all right?" She asked for the sake of asking, "You're very fast! Much faster than any of the boys ever were."

"Perfectly fine," Allen replied, and she wondered why he wasn't turning around, "Kanda's in now, though I suspect he won't be much longer. Probably."

"I see," Silence fell. A normal around them, it seemed, but she did not want to go yet. She had come in to, for lack of a better term, openly spy on them. She wanted to see what kind of boys these exorcists were, and so far, she'd learned very little.

"Tell me," She started slowly, drawing both their attentions to her, "Where are your parents? Your family?"

The boys didn't even try to be sneaky with the look they sent each other. She couldn't read it.

"Mrs. Weasly," Allen turned only a little, "My friends are my family. And most of the Order are my friends."

That saddened her. Very much. It told her a lot. He had no parents, had no blood family, otherwise he would not have tried dodging the question with an answer that only _seemed_ relevant. It meant he thought highly of his friends, and that at least the Order seemed to treat him well. But she knew better than most that no matter how kind or welcoming another person or family could be, it could never make up for the real thing.

"And you?" She asked of Lavi. He help his hands up in surrender.

"Ah, don't worry about me, Mrs. I have enough people looking out for me."

Another one with no family. And she would bet almost anything that the third one of them, Kanda, had none also. And from his attitude, Lavi was friendly, but not as much as Allen, or as trusting. He was actually much more wary, she realized, of all of them than he let on.

"Is that what your Order does?" Her temper was flaring. It always did in situations like these, "Do they find young orphans and train them to be 'exorcists', as you call it?"

"The Order has no control over who becomes an exorcist," Allen immediately defended, and turned around to do so more effectively.

And so she saw his defined, but definitely _scarred_ chest.

His body wasn't that of a child's. Even without the scars. And the scars themselves were horrible. Jagged and rough. Not clean, like how a scar from a cut would usually be, but more like the wound had been torn and pulled apart multiple times.

She had a vision of him fighting as he did today, except far more wounded. Far, far more wounded. On the ground bleeding, torn up, monsters around... and then of him getting up and fighting again, tearing his wounds wider, ripping the clots apart.

She was jerked back to reality by the sound of the door opening. It was Kanda, still dripping from his shower. He seemed completely aware that he'd walked in on an uncomfortable situation. He glanced around the room once, twice, then spotted his things on the bed laid out for him. He strode across the room, whispering right past her. She caught the scent of the soap that the boys regularly used. She could see his body was also far more developed, but at least it fit him more, him being older.

He stopped in front of his suitcase, opening it to rummage around, and she noticed Lavi peek over the others shoulder.

"Hey, Yuu~, why do you have a-"

A harsh elbow in the ribs silenced Lavi immediately, and Molly idly thought that she'd been right about Kanda seeming like the type to be fiercely protective of his personal space.

"Do you have to be a jerk _all_ the time?" Allen asked with a show of annoyance that briefly caught her by surprise. He was currently buttoning his shirt with long, deft fingers.

"Comes with the contract," Kanda replied calmly, shutting his suitcase and locking it with a snap of his wrist.

"_I _didn't sign that contract. Never would have either, wouldn't have been worth it."

Kanda whipped the towel around his shoulders off in an instant, and with a twirl and a snap, he'd snapped his curled, wet towel at Allen, which landed squarely on the others shoulder with a very loud, painfully sounding snap.

"Hey!" Allen started angrily.

"Isn't that the kind of thing guys do in the showers, Yuu?" Lavi asked with a sly smile which dropped when the towel snapped the air dangerously close to his face. "White flag, I surrender!"

"That's what I thought," Kanda said, turning around and leaving the room.

Feeling like she'd far outstayed her welcome, and that both Allen and Lavi had just been putting on a show for her, Molly nodded her head a little too enthusiastically.

"Anyways, yes," She backed up to the door, "Snacks, like I said. I hope you sleep well. I should be going. Just call if you need something."

"Of course we will," Lavi reassured her gently, "Thank you."

She reached behind her and pulled the door open. As she continued to mention that really, it was fine if they talked to her, she noticed Allen's eyes slide to her hand, then back to her face. His expression gentled.

"We understand," He told her.

"Alright," She gave a smile that she had perfected, being a mother. The one she used to hide her fear, dissatisfaction, or anger. "Good night."

"Goodnight," Lavi and Allen echoed.

She shut the door and stood there for a moment. She noticed, faintly, that her hands were shaking. But it was hard to concentrate on that. In her mind was the image of both their eyes. She'd seen them acting just like boys, like their _real_ age, and it was easy to pretend that the skills they had were just that. Skills. That it didn't mean that they had seen, heard, or experienced many of the things that she would have thought came with them.

But she had seen their eyes as she exited. They were the oldest eyes she had ever seen on somebody so young. Their faces were the same, but their eyes – it was as if they were far older than even _her_, instead of a couple of teenagers. Those eyes had seen things. She didn't know what she felt more – anger, pity, or fear. And if it was fear, she didn't know which one it was. Fear _for_ them, or fear _of_ them.

She noticed that neither came down for any food, though they had seemed so interested at first.


	3. First Step

A/N: Yo! Back again!

This was Kame-tan's idea! To see when Dumbledore first recruited the exorcists. The thing with that, though, is that how it happens... well, it's less about Dumbledore's brilliance, for once, and more about how meddlesome Cross can be XD So I split this up – the second half is the part that Dumbledore goes to the Order for the first time. I imagine, though, that he, in fact, visits the Order at least twice, probably three times. The Order, and especially the Vatican, wouldn't have agreed to jump right into the fray immediately. I'll write the second part next, sooner or later.

Also, I don't know if that woman's first name is correct, but it's the one I saw in the translated scan's I read. But anyways, on to the story!

Albus Dumbledore sat back in his large chair very slowly. He reached up and rubbed his temples, then the bridge of his nose. He sighed. He had just finished looking at his newest clue a second time, and while it held quite a bit of information, it was all disturbing.

That newest clue was one of the most reliable kind – a memory. He'd been looking forward to viewing it in his pensieve. This newest conundrum was one that he didn't need. One that he feared was much bigger than even he realized, and more dangerous. And he simply did not have the _time_ to unravel the mysteries and incorporate it all into his plan. The plan that had taken years upon years to go through, and only _now_ was this new issue coming to light.

When he'd first gotten hints of some new evil, he'd thought he would just ignore it and continue to focus all his efforts on using his remaining time wisely. But then he'd seen one of those creatures himself, though _another_ memory, and then suddenly nobody seemed to know what he was talking about. It was as if someone was modifying memories to keep anybody from remembering what had happened with these creatures.

And then some Death Eaters had the nerve to practically flaunt the fact they had a few of the creatures under their command, and suddenly he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He'd gone through a lot of trouble researching them. He found nothing but the most religious of texts mentioned them, and even if they were accurate, none had mentioned anything of importance to him. So he'd gone to different methods. And, eventually, just when he felt the last grains of sand were flowing from his hourglass called 'Life', he'd finally stumbled across a young policewoman who did actually know something useful.

Her name was Hesse Moore. She wasn't very forthcoming with the information except to say that a young stranger had saved her. Thankfully, he had the means to get the memory from her without her being any the wiser. He hadn't been able to review that memory right away, but the moment he had the time, he'd let everyone know not to bother him today, and shut himself in his office.

Except that memory? Far more intense than he would have ever guessed.

It had, of course, been from her point of view. As such, some of the details that might have been important were kind of glossed over. But he received far more information from it than he was sure he would have been able to gather from any other method.

He'd watched the whole thing unfold. One of the first things he saw was an old church. One of the first people he saw was a very strange young boy. He had a round face, large gray-blue eyes, and a deformed left hand that was wrinkled and blood red. Because it was a memory, he couldn't sense anything the woman, Moore, couldn't, but he didn't need to be able to sense things to know the young boy had some kind of spell or curse on his left eye. Scars, no matter how clean or precise the original wound might have been, wouldn't have left a pentagram like the one the boy had.

Though that memory, he'd learned about the creatures he'd seen; now he even had a name to call them. Akuma. He learned something about what they were, and that they were, in fact, controlled by somebody instead of being some kind of freak of nature or otherwise uncommon occurrence, like he'd hoped. If they were being controlled by somebody, that meant that either that somebody had struck some kind of deal with Voldemort, or the Dark Lord had somehow copied the technique to create them.

After seeing that memory, he began to inquire about an Order, and exorcists. Nobody he asked had heard of any such thing. And so he had asked around several places and people, erasing his presence from any place he did not want others to be able to trace him to.

And that was how he came to be where he was now, leaning back and contemplating his choices. He had several of them, but none were one's that were very beneficial to him, and quite simply, he did not know just how many of these Akuma Voldemort had, and what kind of an impact that could create. He had not seen many, was not aware of more than a handful, but that could change after his death.

A loud, brisk knock on his door. Only two of his teacher's generally knocked like that, and this one was too heavy to be Minerva.

"Come in," He called, entwining his fingers together before him as he leaned forward again. Snape entered then, his face a calm mask of indifference, the only other person that Dumbledore had told about the Akuma, though only the barest of facts and their name. Behind him entered the most peculiar man he had laid eyes on in a long while.

"Hello," Dumbledore greeted cheerfully, though he didn't think he could hide his tired eyes behind his cheerfulness

He was odd, that was to be sure. Long, layered, fiery red hair than fanned out widely. Some kind of mask that hid half of his face and had a cross engraved on it. What caught Dumbledore's eyes, though, was the coat. Long, floor length, mostly black, but with gold trimmings. There was an emblem on the others chest to the left side that he'd never seen, some kind of star with many sides.

"He rather demanded to speak with you," Severus said with an obvious sneer in his voice, "Normally, I would have turned him away immediately, but he mentioned something interesting that may be important."

With that, the stranger swept by the potions master, plopping down in the chair before Dumbledore's desk and leaned back, putting his boots up on the edge of his desk.

"What're you-!" Severus started, appalled, but then the stranger interrupted with a firm, rough,

"I heard you were asking around about 'The Order' and 'Exorcists'."

Silence pervaded the office. Snape shut the door firmly, then made his way to stand beside the Headmaster.

"I'm afraid we haven't had a proper introduction," Dumbledore finally murmured, eying the man quietly, "I am Albus Dumbledore, and you've already met Severus Snape."

"I know who you are, old man," The stranger replied airily, "I wouldn't have come here if I hadn't looked into you first."

"Then _who_ are _you?_" Snape demanded, "You are one of the rudest, most disrespectful people I have met – and that's saying something since I'm a _teacher_."

"The name is Cross," The other ignored the potions master deftly, "I have to admit that I didn't expect to find someone such as yourself making such an obvious attempt at finding out about things like that. Let me guess. You ran into an Akuma sometime recently?"

"Something like that," Dumbledore replied pleasantly, "You must have quite the information network to be able to tell so quickly."

"You could say that," Cross replied smugly, "Though that's not how I found out about _you_. I've been keeping my eye on you lately. You and that wand of yours."

He stilled. Nobody knew about his wand except one person, and that person wouldn't go telling anybody else. Either the man's information network was even more extensive than he could have guessed, or he'd been watched for a long time.

"Have you come for a trade, then?" He asked, still pleasantly because there was no point in being otherwise just yet.

"Let's cut the crap," Cross leaned forward, his boots sliding off the desk and resting one arm across the desk, "I know about Akuma. In fact, I also know about your current predicament. Must be tough – about to send your kid out in the big bad world right when the world wants to slaughter him, and now you've got these things popping up and ruining your plans."

Snape had his wand leveled at the other almost instantly. He snarled, "Who are you _really_? What do you want?"

""Severus," Dumbledore said quietly, and with another snarl and a bit of hesitation, the wand was lowered. "Have you been watching me so closely?"

"Well, when you have as much time as I do, it's nice to check back in to this side of the world every now and then. The Potter brat reminded me of another I know, and I was a little suspicious about something, but turns out it was needless. Though, investigating that brat led me to you, and thus your wand, so it worked out, in the end."

"And now, what have you come here for?" He continued, his voice and expression now serious.

"I know the Order you're looking for. I know because I'm a part of it – I am an Exorcist."

Another silence as he and Severus watched this man for any signs of lies. He had to admit, the coat, which looked more like a uniform, would make a little more sense if that were the case.

"I see."

"I'm not going to ask for anything just yet," Cross went on, "I know more about your position than you're probably comfortable with me knowing. I know about your Potter brat, and the mission you've given him. I know about how the Akuma have started to follow orders from normal humans, from your so-called 'Death Eaters', and what that means. So, I'm going to share some information with you."

"_Useful_ information, I hope," Severus snapped.

"I'm not about to waste my time on something so frivolous as messing with your minds, no matter how interesting as that might be," Cross rolled his eyes.

"I just finished looking at a memory," Albus announced, "From the point of view of a young police woman who had encountered an Akuma. I learned much from her, and a young white haired boy who mentioned the Order and Exorcists to her-"

"'White haired'?" The other man repeated, raising his one visible eyebrow, "Well, I'll be damned. Brat get's around."

"... You wouldn't happen to be the 'master' he mentioned...?"

"Unfortunately."

"Is it true you were lost somewhere in India?" He wondered aloud.

"I wasn't _lost_, I don't _get_ lost."

"I see," He said in faint amusement before returning to his serious attitude once again.

And so Cross told him a little more about the Order, officially called Black Order, and it's exorcists. He didn't share much more information about the exorcist's themselves, but he did mention the fact that only exorcists could destroy Akuma. That was worrisome, really, and it was just as he was wandering in thought that Cross suddenly stood and announced that he was leaving.

"Is there some way to contact you?" He found himself asking, hoping that it was so.

"No," Cross replied gruffly, "I'm about to go on a long trip anyway. But I'll be generous and do you one better."

He pulled a folded card from inside his jacket and tossed it onto the desk.

"Those are the coordinate for the Order's location. Use it, or don't. But they won't do you any favor's for free."

"I rather think it's that way no matter who you ask," Albus picked up the card and opened it, finding numbers on the inside in neat script. He looked up to see the red head already standing in front of the door. "Thank you for your help."

"Watch out for those brats, if you meet them. You might find yourself in deeper than you were before."

Then the man was gone.

Neither Dumbledore, nor Snape saw him ever again.


	4. Second Step

A/N: Does anybody know how to put some line-breaks in here? Looking at the actual story, I can see that every one I tried is erased like it's not there, and I don't like how it jumps from the author's note straight into the story with no warning. I always found it distantly annoying when I read other stories like that, and it's the same here.

Anyone been reading DGM? Kanda's expression got me in the last one XDDD

_._

Dumbledore found that the Black Order's headquarters was nothing more than a very large, very malicious looking castle that was many stories high. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it was more like a tower, for that's what it seemed to be. It was dark, and the aura around it screamed 'Don't enter here!'. Even in broad daylight it had a kind of angry air to it. Not to mention it was on top of a tall mountain.

"How are muggle's suppose to come here?" He mused aloud as he watched it from atop his broom, "I gather that _is_ their main business."

"They do not want to be known, it seems, but the town not far from here knows about it plenty," Severus scoffed from his own place floated not far below, "These annoying things are something I have not seen before either."

Indeed, Dumbledore hadn't ever spied creatures like the small, bat-winged, round creatures with one large eye before either. They fluttered about them as if analyzing them, like they had never seen them before either. But they showed no signs of being violent or vicious.

They lowered down and unmounted their brooms to stand almost directly in front of the huge building. Their was a giant door before them, many, many times taller than themselves with a strange face carved onto it.

"These muggles have definitely disturbing tastes," Severus sneered slightly, no doubt with one hand on his wand inside his sleeve.

"State your purpose," A voice from one of the small bat-creatures said. Curious about how such a thing could be, Dumbledore smiled pleasantly.

"We have come to speak to your leader. Is such a thing possible?"

"For what reason?" The voice asked.

"I have come with some information that I was told was valuable to you, and also with some questions of my own. A man came to me and told me the location of this place. He introduced himself as Cross to me."

Silence for a few long seconds before the voice replied.

"Take the gatekeeper's test first."

Wondering who this gatekeeper was and where, he looked around. He made sure to keep the pleasant expression the whole time, though he had to admit it may have faulted for a moment when the face carved on the huge door moved with realistic animation. It's eyes were bulging as it looked at them, stretching itself forward with a strange expression.

The sudden movement caused his potions master to shift in alarm, almost snatching his wand out into the open. He made sure to motion for the other to relax, though he was almost at the edge of his toes himself.

He felt a strange tingle that moved like a wave over his entire body, so faint he may not have noticed if he were not so old and so experienced. Severus let out a quiet hiss that let him know he felt it also.

"Clean!" The 'gatekeeper' bellowed loudly, though still eying them almost nervously. There was another moment of silence before the voice emitted from the bat-creature again.

"Open the gate."

The gate began to open the moment the face stretched back into place, seemingly nothing more than a carving once more.

"How entirely... unpleasant," Severus brushed off his robes, eyes narrowed, "What kind of muggle technology was that?"

"I'm afraid I do not know," Dumbledore replied, "Although it was fascinating."

From the large expanse of space came a young man dressed in a long white coat. He was Chinese and he wore the same cross over his breast as Cross had. He wore a similar smile that he himself did, although perhaps more detached.

"Hello," The young man greeted, "I'm afraid we don't get visitors very often. My name is Komui Lee. You say Cross sent you?"

There was no invitation for a handshake, but Dumbledore didn't mind. This man was very cautious.

"That is correct," He replied with a shallow nod, "My name is Albus Dumbledore. This is Severus Snape."

"Nice to meet you," The other said politely before motioning them inside. The large doors began moving shut then of their own accord. "We'll talk in my office. Forgive me, but I'd prefer to get down to business."

"Understandable," He looked around with veiled curiosity, following along after the other. They didn't get to see much of the place. Up several flights of stairs and down some deserted hallways and they arrived at what he assumed was the others office. Inside it was round, and very spacious if not for all the papers cluttered around. There were large bookshelves lining the walls and one desk which was piled particularly high with papers. There was a couch in front of it and that was where he and Severus was offered a seat.

"Now," Komui leaned against the front of his desk, "What can I do for you?"

"I would prefer to speak to the leader of your organization," Dumbledore placed his hands in his lap, "It is very important. I have something of a proposition for them."

"Oh?" The Chinese man rose an eyebrow, "I see. Well, I'm afraid that I am as good as you will get. I am the supervisor here at this branch of the Black Order. The only ones above me are the men and women at headquarters, and I do not think you could get an audience with them. Whatever you have to say, I assure you I am sufficiently high enough on the chain of command to do something about it one way or another."

Dumbledore eyed the other for a little while. He could admit he was surprised – the man looked far too young to be at such a high position. Obviously, he must have the talent and knowledge to back his position up. He would not be a dumb or ignorant man. He would have to do. So he spoke.

He told the other first about magic. He only hinted at it because he wasn't sure if the other knew anything about it. As it turns out, magic was as much a myth to this Organization as almost any other muggle. The only difference being that the other seemed to equate something called 'Crow' with it, and he did so with a thoughtful but doubtful expression. So Dumbledore had to explain, and of course demonstrate. The other took it fairly well.

Then he began his story about how he'd gradually discovered Akuma, and how he'd discovered that police girl. About how Cross had shown up suddenly and left just as much so.

"Cross is one of our Generals," Komui said, now sitting behind his desk and entwining his fingers together, "One of our highest ranked and most powerful exorcists. Unfortunately, he also knows how to avoid us and make himself scarce. I believe you when you say you got your information from him. However, that leaves this question – what did you come to us for?"

Explaining about their wizarding war was something of a novelty, since all wizards knew about it. Trying to put it in a way to make it not only understandable, but relatable, was something of a challenge also. As he discovered, making it relatable was unnecessary. This order had their own war.

"I understand where you are coming from," The other said, "But our resources are already stretched thin. The only way we could help you is if you made it extremely worth-while. And to be honest? There isn't much that would make entering into your war in any way 'worth-while'."

"How about this substance you called 'Innocence'?" He asked softly, watching the others eyes narrow and become sharp, "I believe I may have such a thing. And if I do, then I know where another two are."

This caught the young leader's attention entirely.

"I could not say for certain unless I know it for a fact. Is it something you have on your person?" At his assent, the other added, "Then why don't you take a walk with me. We'll check if it _is_ Innocence. And if it is, then we can talk."

This time, they took a more direct route. This allowed both Dumbledore and the strangely quiet Snape to see more of the large tower. There were many people bustling about, contrary to what they'd first seen. Most wore long white lab coats, some wore white cloaks of a sort. In fact, everyone seemed to wear some kind of white uniform. But, as he noticed, he caught a glimpse of a person that stuck out of the crowd completely because they wore a mostly black uniform instead. The contrast was startling.

They passed by a large room that was headed by a large cross and had many candles spread throughout the room. The floor was littered with coffins and people by them mourning. It was a sad, depressing sight. It made Dumbledore wonder if they had anything to offer at all.

But if they did, he would take it because he had no other acceptable choice.

They were led to a platform which began to lower itself once they stood on it. Down below, in a large chamber full of darkness, they stepped out onto another platform, where they stood for a few long moments before long, silvery tentacles of some sort began to emerge from over the side.

He'd be lying if he said that the creature that rose from the darkness hadn't scared him on first glance. He'd never seen anything like it, magical or otherwise. It had a silvery glow not unlike a ghost, but it seemed perfectly solid and the only thing humanoid about it was it's face. And even then.

Komui appeared nonplussed, and so even though he subtly made sure his wand was at the ready, he made sure he appeared as if he was nothing more than a little startled. As it was, Severus was rooted to the spot, his eyes wide in shock and confusion and maybe even a little fright.

"_Inno...cence_?" It was posed as a question, he could tell, and there didn't seem anything malicious about it. It seemed like this creature was perhaps not the most intelligent. A magical creature somehow attuned to this Innocence, maybe, and that was how they could tell the difference?

"Please show Hevlaska what you think may be Innocence," Komui requested politely, motioning towards the creature with a slight nod of his head. Dumbledore paused, but then held his white wand up before him. It seemed... inadequate, comparatively.

A long, thin tentacle reached out and wrapped around the wand. He didn't like the idea of letting it go, but he did when he felt a slight tug. He watched as it was handled gently, as it was raised up to the creature's face. One of the tentacles began to seemingly _meld_ with the wand, and an orb of light appeared around them.

"_It is... difficult_," The creature said with a certain amount of intelligence that made him revise his opinion, "_I can sense... Innocence... But it is being... disrupted... As if some... thing is covering it up."_

"But there _is_ Innocence there?" Komui asked sharply.

"_There is_," The thing affirmed. The tentacle lowered the wand back down, and Dumbledore reached out to take it because he didn't want to otherwise appear frightened. It relinquished it's grip easily. "_However... It is... dormant. It is not activated... It does not have an accommodator."_

"Strange, then, that it works for you," Komui murmured softly as they looked at each other, Dumbledore with a soft smile once more.

"I can not say," He replied just as softly, "Although now we know."

"Indeed," The other tilted his head to the side, "I believe we are in business. You say you may know where two more Innocence is? Come to my office. We will talk."

And so Dumbledore and Snape began to follow the other back up, where the light was very welcome indeed, and as they went back towards the office, they took a different route than before. At one point, sounds of thumps and violence caught his ears. It seemed to have caught Severus's as well, for he said,

"It sounds as if you have a case of brutes on your hands."

"I can assure you that there is little chance that this one, at least, is from an argument. Or, at least, that it is something as simple as a brawl," Komui replied in faint amusement.

"Whatever do you mean?" Dumbledore asked, pushing his glasses up his nose with his one good hand.

Komui wordlessly motioned to the hallway that branched off of theirs. It was just as dark as all the others, but they followed out of curiosity. They watched as their guide calmly pushed open a door.

Inside was a small group of people who seemed to be sitting before various sets of equipment meant for physical workouts. They all were trying to obviously avoid the area directly middle of the room, where there were plenty of padding across the floor. Atop it was two people, darting around each other and trying to take each other down in what was no doubt a muggle sort of fight with fists.

One was a somewhat tall Asian boy with his hair in a ponytail, holding what Dumbledore recognized as a sort of practice sword. The other, a very large, very tall man who kept his face forward at all times and had large, nimble hands. Both were very muscular and fit, and moved far faster than Dumbledore would have thought people could honestly move, continuously. Their moves were precise and skilled, and even though the ones around the walls in white cloaks appeared almost afraid to go close, they also were obviously trying not to stare. Only the oldest ones who also noticeably had the most scars were mostly unaffected.

"Those two are two of our exorcists," Komui announced to the softly, "Both are skilled and have been with us far a fair while."

"That one there," Severus pointed and then drawled, "He is blind, is he not?"

Dumbledore almost did a double take. The larger man of the two did not _seem_ blind. He moved quickly and seemed to see almost all the moves coming. Almost too quickly, even.

"That is correct," Komui nodded firmly, "Marie lost his eyesight years ago. But he is no less a fighter for it."

"Fighting in such a way is barbaric," Severus sneered.

"It is amazing he can move like that," Dumbledore observed quietly, "And the other boy?"

"Kanda?" Their guide rose an eyebrow, "What about him? They are teammates – they've trained together for a long time. They will not get hurt, if that is what you were wondering."

Snape's sneer deepened, though he didn't say anything.

"Come. We have a lot to talk about. You may get to meet more of the exorcists at a later time, if you'd like."

"I would," Dumbledore affirmed. He did want to meet these exorcists. They seemed like interesting people, but also, pitiable.

They were lead away, and the noise faded in the background. They had much to talk of indeed. And talk they did.

He was almost appalled by their way of life, but it wasn't his business. What he needed was their help, and he did not need to know very well to get it, though he would learn anyway.

He would learn many things. About the Black Order, about the Akuma, and about the exorcists. He would meet one in particular that reminded him of the boy on who's behalf he was here for. It would be a valuable experience for him, for before his death. It even managed to somehow give him some more peace of mind about it.

Somehow.

A/N: I don't have much to say about it. Sorry it took so long. It didn't want to be written ^^;

And is anybody interested in YYH? I've posted a new story for it (Though I don't know if I'll continue it, which is why I need feedback), and if you are, please take a look. XD

Anyways, review and uh... good luck to all those who have re-started school recently.


	5. Veela Distraction

A/N: Because I was re-reading and fixing chapter 7 of TAFD, I came to a small line that reminded me of something. And then this came to me. So I decided to write it quickly enough, haha. So it's just a short little thing. XD

I'd love to see their faces in reaction to Veela. It'd be absolutely hilarious. Does Kanda even have that kind of thoughts, I wonder? Sometimes he seems more like an alien than anything, haha.

Anyways, this takes place in the beginning, while everyone is still at the Burrow. The Delacours are just arriving.

**BREAK**

Their arrival wasn't something Harry had been looking forward to. Everyone had been worked to the bone, making the Burrow look nice. It looked so nice, it looked _wrong_. The chickens were put away, and all the little things that had even a little dirt to them were clean vigorously or put away. It didn't look as homely as Harry liked. And considering how much he and the others had been put to work, not to mention how Mrs. Weasly had kept them purposefully separated, had grated on his last nerves.

That the Delacours were finally here didn't make him feel any better. Though to be fair, it made him feel no worse either.

They were all waiting outside. Everyone had been forced to clean up. Even to the extent of trying to flatten his and Lavi's hair, and made sure everyone's socks were matching. It was like they were already going to the wedding itself instead of just welcoming the bride's family.

They heard the high pitched laughter first. They were waiting for Mr. Weasly to bring them back, for they had so much security on the Burrow that the port key needed to go to a nearby hill instead. At first he thought it must have been one of the women laughing, but as they turned the corner, he noticed it was actually Mr. Weasly. The man was laden with all kinds of luggage and leading a blond woman in leaf-green robes. She was most definitely extremely beautiful, though her husband was no where near her in terms of beauty. Short and a bit over weight, Monsieur Delacour was smiling friendlily, and welcomed Mrs. Weasly with a kiss on both cheeks, leaving her flustered.

He found it awfully hard to concentrate with the woman and even the younger girl, Gabrielle, around. It was like his mind started to go fuzzy around the edges and he acquired tunnel vision that allowed him to look only at them. It was... distracting, certainly. Thankfully, he'd have a little experience with Veela by then and was able to keep his head on straight. He found that certain people were not so lucky.

He only glanced over when Ron kicked a gnome to relieve his frustration as Mrs. Weasly exclaimed how it was no trouble at all. Beyond Ron, he could see the exorcists.

Lavi looked like his hearts would transform into hearts at any second. He was noticeably leaning toward the Veela, his mouth slightly parted. Allen's face was quickly gaining a slightly red sheen, and he seemed almost like a deer caught in headlights, as the muggles say. Even Kanda was not unaffected – standing lax, his eyes seemed to have an almost glazed over look to them. None of them looked like their minds were working at all. If anything, they looked like colorful statues.

Harry was vaguely surprised that they weren't doing anything stupid, or even approaching the Veela. He could remember almost jumping out of some very high stands the first time _he'd_ seen a Veela.

"And, of course, you 'ave met my leetle daughter, Gabrielle!" exclaimed Monsieur Delacour. The eleven year old hugged Mrs. Weasly and sent Harry a glowing look, complete with batting eyelashes. He heard Ginny clearing her throat rather loudly.

"Yes! Of course, indeed," Mrs. Weasly smiled in an almost frazzled kind of way, "Let me introduce some of Harry's friends, who are also staying with us."

She did so, and Harry found that he would much rather observe the exorcists than the Veela. It was far, far more amusing.

"Hello," Allen responded as he was introduced, his voice coming out way higher than his normal. Madame Delacour laughed pleasantly, and it was clear that it wasn't _at_ Allen that she laughed at. She shook hands with the other, and blinked, perhaps a little startled when Lavi almost bodily shoved Allen to the side with his hip.

"Pleasure to meet you," Lavi said, his voice not high, but his eyes slightly glazed over and still leaning a little too far towards her. "You look like someone I've seen before, like maybe out of my dreams."

Allen elbowed Lavi harshly in the ribs, and Harry couldn't tell if it was as a warning, or because he also wanted to be near her. Kanda was still stuck in place, and so he remained until Madame Delacour held out a hand and smiled.

Much to everyone's shock, he actually took her hand and shook it.

"Such 'e strong grip! Tell me, are 'ou a native 'nglish speaker?" She asked curiously.

"Something like that," He replied gruffly, almost politely, and seemed completely unaware of the slightly jealous glares from his comrades.

As Mrs. Weasly started to usher them inside between lot's of "No, please!"s and "After you!"s and "Not at all!"s, Allen promptly stepped harshly on Kanda's foot while Lavi jammed a finger into his ribs.

"What the fu-!"

It was Hermione, lightly tugging at his ponytail to remind him that cursing was _still_ not allowed.

"Lucky bastard," Lavi grumbled under his breath.

"What the hell, talk to her on your own!" Kanda hissed angrily.

"You wouldn't understand, since Yu gets all the girls," The red head continued to grumble.

"Go jump off a bridge," Allen added under his own breath.

They became aware of a small girl looking right at them not a few feet away, hanging back from the rest of the family moving inside. Gabrielle noticed them freeze and look at her, and she sent one of the biggest, brightest smiles she had their way. Allen's face began to go red again.

"I'm telling Lenalee," Lavi whispered to Allen. Harry barely heard it, even standing as close as he was, but it was obvious, what with the was Allen began to sputter and turn even brighter.

"'ello," Gabrielle said.

"Hello," Harry greeted since he didn't think any of the others would.

"I didn' know 'ou 'ad more exotic friends than us, 'arry," She smiled brightly, and he honestly didn't think any of the exorcists were more exotic than french Veela. He caught her looking them over curiously.

He followed her eyes. Tried to look from her point of view. He watched as she looked over Kanda – tall, muscular, Asian, and handsome, wearing a tight shirt and having his arms crossed in a way that he knew a lot of girls found mysterious. Watched as she looked over Lavi – extremely bright red hair, intriguing eye patch, tall, brightest green eye he'd ever seen, distinctly mixed heritage, and also no doubt fit. Then over Allen – not tall, but not really short either, with shockingly white hair, light gray-blue eyes, the strangest scar that the girl no doubt felt as a heavy curse, fit, and wearing some pretty tight pants.

Okay. So maybe they might be a _little_ more 'exotic'.

"Did 'ou attend 'ogwarts too?" She wondered aloud. She was looking straight at Allen, but it was Lavi who answered.

"Nope, we didn't go there. We were, ah, taught by our own privet teachers," he smiled winsomely, "How old did you say you were?"

"I didn't," She replied, still smiling. Harry felt as if there was something going on here that he wasn't entirely getting, "But, if 'ou must know, I am eleven."

"Hey, Allen-"

A sharp crack as Allen's foot met with Lavi's shin.

"I didn't... say anything," Lavi said in a tight voice, shoulders rigid to keep him from bending over and rubbing his shin.

"I know you," Allen replied, eyes sharp, "You were going to say something stupid."

Gabrielle blinked rapidly, startled at the violence and suddenly unsure of herself.

"We must be going," He continue, giving her was Harry had dubbed the 'friendly, look away' smile. The one he used when he was making a quick getaway. He'd used it a lot recently. "It was a pleasure meeting you. I'm sure we'll see out around, but we must be off. We've got... uh, things, to do."

Kanda turned and walked away the same time Lavi and Allen did. For a moment, there was silence after they left. Harry was silently repressing an very amused smirk. Their influence was bad – he'd been around them too much. He didn't _smirk_.

"They are... um," Gabrielle seemed to struggled to think up the word she was trying to remember, "Interezting. I tink."

"Oh yeah. Loads," Ron muttered.

"Come on," Hermione spoke for the first time, "I'm sure everyone's wondering what we're doing hanging around out here. Let's go inside."

As they did, Harry and Ron hung back a little.

"Did you see their faces?" Ron snickered quietly.

"I didn't know Allen could stutter like that," Harry mused just as quietly.

"Forget _stuttering_, I didn't think a prat like Kanda could be so polite!"

"That was definitely something," He almost laughed. He held himself back at the last moment.

It would be interesting to see how the exorcists adjusted to the Delacours as time went on. Harry would be watching and enjoying every second of it. It was about time they seemed more human.


	6. Shadows

A/N: I know it took a long time for this to come out. Want to know why? Well, I'm on something of a hiatud right now for both writing and drawing. I know most people don't check my profile, but I did put it there, just in case. I'm STILL on hiatus, but I still feel bad for not updating for so long. I wrote this one a while ago, and I know it's really short. It's... I guess it's just an "I'm-sorry-for-being-on-hiatus-please-don't-hurt-me-I-3-you" sort of chapter 8D So It'll be a little while longer yet, but I guess that the good news is that the next chapter of Ashes, Ashes is twice as long as this one?

Anyways, I've collected the ideas that reviewers have given me for Ashes, Ashes, and so now I have a couple of more chapter ideas. Thanks for that! (More suggestions are more than welcome though!)

This one is from Harukohaha, and I chose to do this one because I had kind of liked the idea. This is basically what those in the Room of Requirement thought when Harry and co. appeared. That, in turn, takes place in chapter 41 in TAFD.

* * *

Everyone knew something was up when the portrait beckoned for Neville to follow her through the secret passageway. It wasn't the first time it had happened, perhaps, but she had a particularly solemn expression on her painted face. He waved off their concern and denied needing anyone to accompany him.

Then he returned not long later with a shout of "Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?" and out from the passageway came a group of people all of Hogwarts had been whispering about.

Shouts erupted from inside the Room of Requirement as the boy who they believed to be the one to save them all stepped into the room. And while everyone was absolutely ecstatic, they were not blind. They noticed the changes immediately.

The first to step through was Ron, who was taller and thinner than before. He looked tired, and his eyes held a certain amount of darkness that hadn't been there before. He stepped through, his hand grasping the side of the hole, and blinked in surprise at the noise that had erupted at his appearance.

Hermione followed, ducking under Ron's outstretched arm, which had frozen in his surprise. She seemed a little more subdued than many of them previously remembered. Her face was thinner, more drawn, but her eyes still lit up in startled curiosity, just like they use to.

Both of them stepped to the side of the opening, and it seemed like such a natural thing. As if they did it often, just parting the way. From the dark of the tunnel then stepped one Harry Potter. He was taller, and leaner, and somehow _sharper_ than before, but it was definitely him.

And suddenly everyone's hearts were soaring, and everyone wanted to touch them, to make sure they were real. Harry's face was a little more guarded, a little more closed off than it use to be. A little more _serious_.

There was not one person who did not feel extremely happy, hopeful, and darkly satisfied that the other boy was here and alive. They were so caught up in their excitement, that a lot of them didn't notice that there were others to step out of the tunnel after their three classmates.

Terry Boot was one of the few who noticed right away. He was as excited as everyone else, but he wasn't the type of person to jump around or go crazy when he felt something strongly. He was content to yell and otherwise wait until everyone else had their fill of touching the new arrivals.

His shout died out into a strangled whisper.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had entered the room, and suddenly everything seemed a little brighter. But as they were surrounded by their classmates, the shadows behind them in the tunnel twisted and _moved_. He thought maybe it was a Dementor, but that thought was ridiculous. If there was a Dementor, everyone would know. Was there, then, some other creature hiding in the darkness?

What emerged wasn't some fearsome creature. Three more people, actually, and he'd never seen them before in his life. They were strange, and from behind them he thought he recognized Draco Malfoy. As much as he didn't like Malfoy, nobody else seemed to care he was there. And anyways, his eyes were stuck on the strangers.

The shadows clung to them as if to pull them back. Their black and red uniforms game a sort of unearthly feel to them, as the black blended in with the darkness. He felt goosebumps rise on his arms and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

Something about those strangers was... not _right_.

He was an observant person. He also liked to think he was good at judging people. What he felt was wrong with these strangers wasn't because they felt _evil_. It wasn't even that they looked like the type to turn on them or otherwise harm them. Maybe it was in the way they stood, or the way they looked at everything like they'd never seen it before. Or maybe it was the way they eyed everyone inside like they were weeding through and looking for threats.

Or maybe it was how old their eyes were, or maybe it really was just the way the darkness clung to them.

He didn't really know what it was. But they were strange, and he didn't know what to think of them.

Ernie Macmillan also noticed the strangers. His first impression was '_Death Eater'_, for they looked dark enough to be able to fire off dark curses. His fingers twitched for his wand, but then he saw the way one of them steadied Harry when the crowd startled to back off as Neville called for calm. There was a moment where there seemed to be some sort of understanding that passed between the two. It was the kind of understanding that only two people who where close could exchange.

Then he looked again, and found that while the strangers did not seem _right_, they did not seem _wrong_ either. The shortest one, the one with white hair, had a calm, understanding sort of expression that excluded a strange warm glow that made Ernie feel a little safer. He was the kind of person that was a natural leader – the kind who was a _good_ leader, who _cared_ for those he commanded.

The redhead was quiet and amused, and he stuck out his hip in an outgoing sort of way. He was not mocking, and he was not unfriendly. He looked for all the world like he was just having fun watching the way everyone greeted Harry.

The Asian one stood tall and while he was foreboding, he did not seem like he was very interested in any of them. His arms were crossed and he looked as if he could take down any Death Eater who dared attack him.

And Ernie did not miss the fact the Draco Malfoy sort of hid behind them all.

Ernie did not like Malfoy. In fact, he bristled at the idea that he was here. However, there was the small part of his brain that did point out the fact that Malfoy did not look as if he were fatally ill anymore either. For Malfoy had appeared during school as pale, drawn, and tired all the time. He did not much taunt others, or bully younger years, and he hadn't been acting anything like he use to. Now, Malfoy had a more healthy glow about him, and he didn't look like he would keel over the moment he moved.

He was startled to notice the way that the white haired one shifted slyly in front of Malfoy when one of the other DA members started glaring venomously at him. Malfoy didn't miss it – he glanced at the other, then sneered and mutter something under his breath that Ernie couldn't hear over the chatter of everyone else. However, while he couldn't hear what the stranger replied with either, the message was clear in the smile he flashed. A small, satisfied smile that was probably just as warm as his voice.

Even when the strangers moved into the room, they still looked otherworldly. It was something _everyone_ noticed, even the ones who were less observant.

Ernie and Terry both felt similarly – as long as these strangers took their shadows and shielded Harry with them, they had a real chance.


	7. Christmas

A/N: Hey all! I'm sorry about this long hiatus, but it'll be over soon. I think. Either way, this chapter is my Christmas present to you. And guess what?... That's right, it's Christmas themed!

Also, recently my old keyboard seems to have broken. I'm now using this other old keyboard, and the space key I have to kind of pound to get it to work, and the keys are a bit hard to press as well. So there might be more errors that usual, and I know there's already usually more than there should be, and I'm sorry about that. I'll try to be very careful.

This chapter takes place the same year the war ends. It is their first Christmas since the war ended, and it's from Ginny's POV. And before anyone wants to start a pairing war – HarryxGinny IS canon (So is RonxHermione, btw, and I had no reason to change that). I'd also like to note that me, personally, I'm not a fan of it. I don't dislike many characters from HP, but Ginny's the closest to dislike I get in that one. So. I'm going to try to be ambiguous on how, exactly, their relationship works out. There will be hints that it will, and hints that it won't. It can go whatever way you want! (And due to a reviewer or two, I'm starting to become a little fond of HarryxLenalee, lmao, strange I know).

* * *

Ginny glanced up around. She was getting just a little impatient. She had a small suspicion that despite what he'd said, Harry would leave without her. Even if she _had_ needed to be something of a nuisance to get him to agree to her going. She didn't know why he was being so secretive about it. It's not like nobody knew where he was planning to go. If fact, _everyone_ knew. Why he had wanted to sneak out and go alone, she wasn't sure.

She wanted to visit the Black Order with him. It wasn't because she wanted to see the exorcists, exactly, but she was... _curious_. Harry was different. When the exorcists had shown up, everything had been strained, but everyone was still the same. When she saw him again in the Room of Requirement almost a year later, he had seemed quieter, a little darker, more solemn. She had been sure that had something to do with the fact that the world was resting on his shoulders and they had been in a very tough spot at the time. But then the war ended, and Harry still seemed the same.

A lot of the changes were good things. He took stress better, and he was a little less reckless, and she noticed he was a little bit more thoughtful. But that funny awkwardness he'd had was almost completely gone, and it only showed itself in rare circumstances. And she didn't miss the way that he seemed to subtly distance himself from others.

He was beyond happy that everyone was okay, and it was obvious that he treasured them all. But he tended to avoid talking about certain things with anyone, and even though Ron and Hermione definitely seemed the closest to him, they were so wrapped up in each other nowadays that Harry had simply quietly backed up and let them enjoy each other. When Ginny had tried to talk to him about the Order, he had hesitated. She could see that he _wanted_ to share with her. And after a moment, he smiled a little sadly (Something he never seemed to do before, something she was sure without a doubt he had picked up from Allen), and he had said,

"It's the warmest, loneliest places I've ever been. It's like..." He'd paused briefly, thinking, "It's like standing at the edge of the world and you've got one side trying to pull you off, while on the other side, something is anchoring you."

She hadn't really understood. She could guess, sure, but when he spoke, his eyes were quiet and old, and he hadn't looked like the Harry she had known. The one that bucked violently under huge restrictions and who didn't ever hesitate to bend or even break rules whenever it suited him. The one that was reckless and loud and awkward.

She asked Hermione what Harry had meant, though she did it reluctantly. She confessed that she felt like Hermione and Ron were to only one's who could understand Harry recently. Hermione smiled as she hung Christmas decorations.

"I know what you mean," She had replied, "But sometimes I think that it's not Ron and I who understand him the best. I think that the only one's who can _truly_ understand what it's like to have the world almost literally on your shoulders are others who have had, or do have, the same burdens."

When she hadn't been able to say anything to Harry originally, she had felt like she had failed some kind of test. She had felt it even then, and had hurried to backtrack. They had ended up bickering a little, but that feeling hadn't disappeared.

She was determined to show Harry that even if she didn't understand now, she could learn. So she wanted to visit the Black Order with him.

Hermione glanced into the sitting room Ginny was waiting in. She was a regular here at the Weasly household now.

"He hasn't arrived yet?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Ginny strove to keep out any anxiousness from her voice.

"Oh. I wonder what's taking him?" Hermione mused, strangely unconcerned.

It was another couple minutes before Harry did appear. He did so looking over his shoulder, as if afraid to be caught. He seemed satisfied, and when he looked back at Ginny, he grinned a little and gave a little wave.

"Ready?"

"Of course," She huffed, and thought better of mentioning how long she'd been waiting.

They made their way out of the house quietly, and Ginny wondered why he was trying to sneak out. Just as they reached to front door, a voice called,

"Harry, dear," they turned a little to find Ginny's mother there with a box in her hands. It was at least two feet by two feet.

"Yeah?" Harry seemed nonchalant, though Ginny wondered why he didn't seem to care that he was caught, when he had been sneaking.

"Give this to them, please," Mrs. Weasly held out the box, "It's not much, I'll admit, but it's the least I could do. I wish I could have made one for everybody. There's others in there too, from some of the others of the Order. Order of the Phoenix, of course, we're all very grateful, as you can imagine. I hope I spelled their names right, I managed to get them from Minerva-"

"I'll make sure they get them, Mrs. Weasly," Harry interrupted her mother's rambling with a smile hidden behind his hand. Something else he never did, she mused.

"Thank you, dear! And make sure they know that they know we're grateful, I fear they're not thanked enough," Mrs. Weasly smiled a little as well, "You'll be back later tonight?"

Harry glanced at Ginny briefly, and she couldn't imagine what she had to do with that question, but then he nodded slightly, "Yes, we'll be back sometime later."

Her mother looked between them in surprise, not knowing that Ginny had planned on going also, but instead of lecturing her for not saying so like Ginny thought she would, her mother pulled her into a hug instead.

"Alright, you two, just be careful."

They had to walk to the edge of the anti-apparition fields, and they did so quietly. She didn't like how awkward the silence was, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Here we go. We're using a port key this time. I heard their fields are up and running now," He told her, pulling out an interesting cross from under his shirt. He seemed completely at ease when he held out an arm to her. Was she the only one who had thought it was awkward?

Just before he activated his port key, he hesitated.

"Are you sure you want to come?" He asked.

"I don't know why you're being so secretive about this trip, but I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to go," She replied matter-of-factually.

"Secretive?" He repeated, genuinely surprised, "I wasn't trying to be. I thought everyone knew I was going today."

"They do," Ginny frowned a little, "But you keep avoiding the subject and you were sneaking out like you still didn't want anybody to know."

"I didn't realize I was sneaking," He now seemed vaguely amused, and her grip on his arm tightened, "Sorry. I didn't mean to be secretive then. It's just that the Black Order is still a touchy subject, depending on who you ask, and I don't think it's going to be very Christmas-like. I figured I was probably going to go by myself, since everybody is busy or trying to avoid going. I guess I'm glad you wanted to go, but... well, I don't know."

He gave a helpless little shrug, and she let him drop the subject.

"Alright," He grinned a little, passing the box to her, "Next stop, the Black Order."

Ginny hadn't ever been to the Black Order base before, and she wasn't sure whether what she found was anything similar to her expectations or not. It was a castle, similar to Hogwarts, but instead of giving off the air of 'old', or 'magical', she found an air of 'power', and 'light'. The suits of armor were also new and they shown. Instead of old stone, she found a lot of new stone and marble. For all that it looked to be the castle of the prince in a fairytale, it was awfully solemn.

New Harry fit in well here.

She found that the thought was not particularly welcome.

Harry decided they should just start out by giving out the presents. It was easier that way, and they had all day, after all, it was only a little after lunch. He made sure to tell her that if she started to feel uncomfortable, or that she wanted to go home, then she should tell him. She wasn't comforted by the fact that he felt the need to say that. They both knew that she would say as much herself if she felt the need.

The first present recipient was Komui, and so they sought him out in his office. He was there, surrounded by paperwork, asleep and drooling on one particular pile. Ginny stared a little. She remembered seeing glimpses of the man at the Battle of Hogwarts. He looked... inadequate, comparatively.

She was even more startled when the door opened only a moment or two after they entered, and none other than Draco Malfoy entered, a stack of paperwork floating behind him.

"I should have expected as much," Malfoy mused, glancing at them. She felt herself stiffen. She had not seen the other for some time, and even knowing that he had helped her brother and Harry, she wasn't about to go about being nice. But instead of the reaction she had expected, Malfoy simply swept past them.

"How does being errand boy work out for you?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Half the time I feel like _I'm_ the one running things around here, lately. It's only a matter of time before I promoted to a much higher ranking," Malfoy dropped the pile of paper on the desk with aloud '_thunk_'. The supervisor didn't even stir.

"I'll enjoy the sight of you running errands for people while I still can, then," Harry moved closer, and Malfoy shrugged.

"Better errands and paperwork than the real grunt work around here. Anything that will keep me out of the science section and their horrible hygiene efforts."

Harry smirked. Another new expression. She was startled by their banter. She remembered how much animosity had been between them originally.

"What's that, Potter?" Malfoy suddenly said, and Harry rose an eyebrow, "You say you like Lenalee as more than a friend?"

The supervisor was on his feet with a cry of "Don't you _dare_ – my sweet Lenalee – _No_!"

Ginny dropped the box in her surprise, and the sound almost seemed to echo in the silence that followed.

"Why is it that everyone feels the need to group Allen and me with Lenalee all the time?" Harry asked with a roll of his eyes, "You should use yourself to wake Komui next time, Malfoy."

"Unlike you, Potter, I'm here far more often, and I feel no need to be smothered in my sleep by some overprotective brother."

Komui coughed and fixed his askew glasses.

"That was no necessary," He said reproachfully.

Malfoy simply gave him a roll of his eyes and patted the new stack of papers, "These are due by tomorrow."

When Malfoy left and Komui plopped ungracefully in his seat, Ginny followed Harry up to the desk with raised eyebrows.

"So," Komui rubbed his temples, "Can I help you? And if you really are here to confess to illicit feelings towards my sister, I am afraid that you may never leave this room."

"Don't worry," Harry chuckled, "I promise that whoever the poor sap is that ever does that, it won't be me."

Ginny herself didn't really appreciate the conversation, but she didn't say anything until Komui asked to know who she was. She introduced herself, instead of waiting for Harry to do it. Komui seemed a little bemused, for some reason, and she was mostly just quiet while she watched Harry reach into his box and pull out a wrapped present with a large bow, followed by another, and a couple cards. Komui was obviously surprised.

Ginny got the strange impression that he was genuinely touched.

When they left, Harry mused on who to visit first. Ginny didn't know many people here, so she felt a little out of the loop, and not to mention rather like a third wheel, but she was determined in her purpose here.

They visited the training rooms first. Harry seemed sure that at least one of their targets would be there. There were multiple training rooms, however, and she watched him peek into each one. Most were in use by founders. One, however, did hold a pair of sparring exorcists.

Ginny rather thought they looked a lot different without their impressive uniforms, and even though the air around them still had some kind of undercurrent of strangeness, they were still a lot less intimidating. She was more distracted by the way that Harry's eyes lit up upon seeing them, but instead of calling out, he quickly caught himself and remained silent. Confused, she nudged him with her elbow, nodding toward the two when he looked.

He shook his head before leading the way inside. He caught the door behind her so that it didn't make any noise when he closed it, and then he waited.

She took the time to observe. The two that were practicing were both large men. Older than both of them, to be sure, and they had fairly impressive physiques, though one was larger than the other. The larger one was also noticeably the more skillful one, and he didn't even look at them when they entered. After a few moments, though, the other seemed to notice them.

He turned, startled, and received a back-fist to the face hard enough to send him sprawling. Ginny noticeably started, eyes widening. They had been so good that it looked practiced. She hadn't expected one of them to actually get hit.

"You can't allow yourself to get distracted, Choaji," The larger one admonished, "As much as you might be advancing in your training, that is still a fatal flaw of yours."

"I'm – I'm sorry," Choaji rubbed his no doubt aching cheek in embarrassment, "I was so concentrated, seeing something from the corner of my eye moving surprised me."

"It's dangerous," The other shook his head, "But you've practiced enough for today. Go ahead and rest."

Choaji visible relaxed, and when he turned to them, he gave a polite bow. Before he could slip past them, Harry called out for him to wait.

"For me?" The other asked, startled, as he took the present.

"Of course," Harry smiled a little, "Some people are still really thankful, you know? These two in particular."

Harry handed a separate letter over, and Ginny wondered how he would know something like that when he'd just received the presents to give out not that long ago. Either way, Choaji took it with an expression of wonder before he bowed again, deeply, and left.

Ginny figured it'd be much the same with the other occupant, but instead, Harry was much warmer.

She noted that his hand was almost engulfed in the strangers hand.

"Good to see you again, Marie," Harry then asked as they shook hands, "You're still helping to train him?"

"Choaji was nothing but a simple sailor before," Marie replied, "And because his Innocence is what it is, it's vital he is as good at martial arts as he can be. Master is away a lot, so Kanda and myself do what we can, even though I think Kanda wouldn't admit to it."

"You're probably right," Harry mused, "How have you and Kanda been?"

"Full moon was a couple weeks ago. Everyone is almost adjusted to what that entails," Marie nodded in such a way that Ginny suddenly realized that he was actually blind. It explained his strange, milky eye color. "We are doing... as well as can be expected, I suppose."

"You guys don't celebrate Christmas?" Ginny asked. She had fully meant to ask, and it was mostly out of curiosity. She remembered Allen's explanation so long ago. The Black Order was a religious organization. They believed in God, so one would think they indulged in Christmas.

"Often times, those around here do not find much to celebrate," Marie replied softly, and she wondered a little at that.

"Marie, this is Ginny," Harry introduced then, "Ginny, this is Marie. He helped teach me when I was here."

Ah, she though. An exorcist _friend_, then.

They shook hands, and she noticed how big and calloused they were. It was hard to tell, but seeing up them close, she noticed pale, white scars crisscrossing his hands. It made her glance at his other hand – which made her realize he was missing a couple fingers on that hand.

He was unaware of what she noticed and how startled she was, or he pretended not to notice. He let her fade to the background as he exchanged some words with Harry. He excepted his present and his letters – and the chocolate frog that came with them.

"Those move when you open it," Harry mentioned, "So, you know. Beware."

Marie looked at the Chocolate Frog with a raised eyebrow, even though he couldn't actually see it, and the expression was one so comical, Ginny had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

They received a few tips from Marie as to where everyone else might be, and they made a quick stop by General Sokaro's room, as well as General Tiedoll and Krory's rooms. They were all out on missions, and so they left the presents – and cards, when applicable – inside their rooms. Of course, they all kept their doors locked, but it was nothing that Harry couldn't handle. Unfortunately, Ginny had yet to turn seventeen, so she still couldn't use magic outside of school.

They started to go to one of the study rooms to find Timothy, and discovered Miranda on the way there.

She gave a friendly, if timid, smile when she spotted Harry and he waved her over. Ginny quietly thought she'd never seen an adult so unsure of themselves or so timid.

When Harry gave her the present, her lower lip trembled.

"But I didn't get anything in return!" She cried, "I'm such a horrible person!"

Ginny watched, bewildered, when the woman looked ready to throw herself out the window. This was the one from the Battle of Hogwarts, who had protected Harry and withstood some immense pressure Ginny couldn't really understand?

"It's okay, Miranda!" Harry laughed a little, "How could you have known? Think of it as a present from someone who's simply grateful to you. If it makes you feel better, everyone's getting something similar."

Miranda opened it to discover a scarf of shimmering copper, that shone just enough to be pretty rather than obnoxious, and Ginny knew that when the woman's lip trembled again, it wasn't from insecurity.

"Thank you," She said softly, and Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"I only helped with the spells on them," He brushed it off, "They'll definitely keep you warm, and they're suppose to be really durable as long as, you know, it's not something like a bullet."

Miranda smiled genuinely, and Ginny thought that it was a little too grateful for something like a simple scarf, even if it was pretty.

The study room they were looking for became obvious when they neared it. From inside it, she heard a loud, exasperated sigh.

"No, Timothy, that's incorrect."

"Well who cares?" A younger male voice exclaimed, "I don't need to know history to kick akuma's butt!"

"While that may be true, I refuse to have an idiot for an apprentice," The older, female voice chided, "The sooner you do well, the sooner you can leave."

Harry knocked on the door a little cautiously. There was a pause of silence before the female called permission for them to enter.

Inside, there was the boy that Ginny recognized as the one that had saved her at the Battle of Hogwarts as well as his teacher, who had saved them both. They were separated by a desk, which had several papers a a book spread wide on top.

"Sorry to interrupt," Harry apologized, "I can come back later, if you like."

"Can't I go already?" Timothy groaned, "Come on, it's _Christmas_!"

"In the spirit of the holidays, I will allow you to cut the lesson short," the woman replied business-like, "But I expect you to answer the questions on that sheet in complete sentences and a rough outline of the essay I gave you."

Timothy seemed thoroughly annoyed with that, but he was out of his seat in the next moment and headed toward the door. Harry stepped in his way on purpose.

The General (Cloud Nyne was her name, Ginny learned), accepted the gift in surprise but also appreciation. Ginny was surprised herself that the other showed any real appreciation at all. She hadn't seemed the type to care much.

Afterward, when they left, Timothy hounded them, wondering if they had something for him.

"Maybe," Harry grinned a little, "But you know, it's actually only Christmas _eve_, Timothy, so maybe I should wait to give it to you tomorrow."

"Wha~t? That's not fair!"

"That's the tradition of things," Harry countered.

"Tell him that's not fair!" Timothy exclaimed, unexpectedly bringing her into it. She blinked and rose an eyebrow. She'd gotten use to being mostly just a specter.

"Well, we _are_ suppose to wait until Christmas..." She smiled a little at his crestfallen expression, "But it does seem unfair to make him wait, somehow."

Harry sent her a sidelong glance, and she didn't recognize the look.

"Yeah," He relented, "I guess so. Well, if you insist..."

"I insist!"

Harry laughed, and suspected that the only reason the kid hadn't kicked him in the shins was because then he wouldn't get the present.

Timothy looked at the scarf in surprise and fascination. It was a deep blue and it shimmered and moved as if made from water itself. Even held perfectly still, it seemed as if it were made of waves. It came with a matching headband, and Timothy regarded that with even more fascination. Ginny expected at least a little disappointment – the kid was only, what, nine years old? Kids that young wanted something useful, something fun. Not a scarf and headband.

But the kid regarded it for a moment before looking at Harry suspiciously.

"What does it do?" He asked.

"What makes you think it does anything?" Harry shot back, pausing in his digging around in the box to smirk at him.

"The time you spelled my last headband to sing whenever I put it on," Timothy scowled at him, and Ginny slowly looked at her companion. She didn't bother trying to hide a giggle. Harry glanced at her, but Timothy continued with, "He did! It was horrible singing too, he thought he was so funny."

"Excuse me," Harry feigned hurt, "I was just trying to lighten that scowl of yours. I'm sorry I haven't quite gotten it down well enough that the signing was actually good. Maybe next time I'll make it dance!"

Timothy paused.

"Can you?"

Harry laughed and shook his head a little, "Manually, sure. But not when you put it on or something fancy."

"So then what does _this_ one do? Or is moving around all magic like what it does?"

"Besides the fact that they're warm and durable, the headband is charmed not to fall off. It's also made out of even tougher stuff, and don't tell anyone, but it's suppose to shrink and stretch according to head size, so you can't outgrow it."

"Really?" The boy was regarding it in more interest now, and after a moment, he exchanged it for his older one. "How does it look?"

Harry took the scarf and wrapped the kid in it enough that Timothy spun around a couple times.

"You look great," He beamed a little while the other struggled to unwind himself, "It suits you. Don't you think Ginny?"

It was the first time he included her of his own volition, and she smiled a little.

"Yeah," She agreed, "A smashing little rouge."

Any complaints of his drained away, and he muttered into the scarf that it wouldn't be so bad to wear them sometimes.

"You can show it off to your friends," She added, and she wasn't entirely sure why. She guessed it was because little boys liked showing things of theirs off, she knew, and she had felt the need to add in something else. But for a moment he dimmed, though he then shrugged it off like a professional.

"They would be jealous," He grinned mischievously.

After he jogged off on his own, she asked Harry about Timothy's parents and if they celebrated Christmas.

"Timothy is from an orphanage, and as I understand it, his father wasn't exactly good parenting material," Harry explained, "It was a poor orphanage. I don't think they could ever afford a Christmas."

They went to the library next, and Harry seemed sure that Lavi or, at the very least, Bookman would be there.

"It's where they always seem to be in their free time," He admitted, "Lavi told me that sometimes they even sleep there."

"Imagine if Madame Pince ever caught them at it," Ginny smiled.

"It would be funny to watch her bully them around. Everyone else leaves the library to them, it's like it's theirs," Harry shifted the box to his other arm, "It would be a big clash."

The library was impressive, for a muggle one. It was comparative to the Hogwarts library, but then, she wasn't sure that it was possible for a muggle one to come close. This one, though, was edging on it.

She didn't immediately spot anybody. Harry wasn't deterred, and they ventured inside.

They did, thankfully, find their targets. She remembered Lavi, and it seemed Lavi remembered her.

"Look who it is!" He exclaimed with a welcoming grin, spreading his arms wide, "It's been a while. Giving her the grand tour, Harry?"

"Something like that," Harry grinned, allowing the other to ruffle his hair.

Bookman glanced their way through heavily-lidded eyes but said nothing.

"I came to deliver a thing or two," Harry added motioning the box, "Trying to track everyone down."

"Who have you yet to find?" Lavi asked, raising an eyebrow. Now that he had that magical blue eye instead of an eye patch, it was far easier to tell when he was doing so.

"Only Kanda, Allen, and Lenalee. Marie didn't think they've gone recently. Do you know if they have?"

"Nope," Lavi shrugged a little, "Hard to say. For the record, though, I just saw Kanda not that long ago, and everyone got their regular round of coffee, so Lenalee was around at least earlier. I haven't seen Allen, but I don't know if he's left on a mission today or not."

"Okay, well, we'll figure it out sooner or later," Harry set the box on a table and began to dig through it, "Mrs. Weasly was really disappointed when I told her you probably wouldn't be around for Christmas, but she sent me along with her presents anyway."

"Presents?" Lavi repeated, his other eyebrow raising to join the first.

"Yeah," Harry could be heard shifting through what remained inside the box, which was obviously much bigger inside than it was on the outside, "Usually she makes these sweaters with your initial on it, but she wanted to make something a little nicer, so the material had to be less. I chipped in, but she put it mostly together."

Harry held out one package to Lavi, and motioned the other to Bookman, who rose an eyebrow. For a moment, he and Lavi actually looked similar.

"All the exorcists get one," Harry supplied to the old mans questioning stare, "She wanted to make sure they all know how grateful she is."

Ginny knew better than to mention her mother also just felt bad for them, what with none of them seemingly having any family or real life outside the Order.

Of course, both Bookman and Lavi received scarves. Bookman's was tan, and though it didn't shimmer, it was extremely soft to the touch. Harry's suggestion – Bookman never seemed impressed, or put much weight, on fancy material things. Something useful, on the other hand?

Lavi's was silky forest green pattern that liked to slowly spin and shift. Its edges were black, and it rather had an elegant feel to it, while somehow still managing to be something... _fitting_, to Lavi. Also in Lavi's package was a pair of gloves similar to the ones he use to wear, but Ginny recognized them as dragonhide. Good quality too, near impervious to flame, and extremely durable. Extremely expensive too. She guessed that was a personal present from Harry himself. She watched him set another package, this one much thicker and in plain brown wrapping, upon the table. She recognized the writing on the tag as none other than Dumbledore's. It was addressed to Bookman. A second stacked on top, addressed to Lavi, and she recognized the twins handwritting.

"I recognize this," Lavi grinned a little, which softened into a smile, "I appreciate it. Tell Mrs. Weasly that she should come here and teach Jerry a recipe or two, her cooking has been missed."

"I thought you liked Jerry's a little more?"

"Not even Jerry knows everything about cooking, as much as he loves it."

"I'll mention it to her then," Harry nodded a little, "We're off to find Kanda then. See you later?"

"Definitely," Lavi nodded back firmly.

Just as they left, Ginny heard the old man scowl, "Don't get distracted!"

"Oh, you're just jealous you didn't get something as cool-"

The sound of something heavy hitting the table and annoyed exclamation of pain. When she glanced back before the door shut, she caught Lavi's eye, and the other blinked, grinned, and then winked.

Kanda was not, thankfully, as hard to find as either of them had suspected he would be. When Harry asked a scientist named Reever, they were pointed outside.

There was an area not far behind the castle that was clear and pretty perfect for something like meditation. Ginny suspected that Kanda, who had never seemed to have any inclination of preference towards being outside, probably felt much more at home out by the forest than he had before he'd become a werewolf.

Harry didn't outright interrupt the meditation, instead taking a seat on a rock that jutted out nearby. He seemed content to wait. Ginny wasn't about to interrupt either. She didn't know Kanda as well as she knew Lavi or Allen (and that wasn't very well either, really), but she had watched Kanda. He didn't like loud people. Or noisy people. Or all kinds of other types that should could name. But interrupting his meditation was something that, eventually, everyone in the Weasly house came to understand as something that rather annoyed the other. In fact, if one were to pursue the interruption, he would just get very shout with them and start to loose his patience.

So Ginny understood the need to wait, and noticed Harry watching her, trying to catch her eye. She tilted her head. He motioned to the rock beside him. A hint that it might be a somewhat long wait. She declined. She wanted to watch. That was what she had come for. To watch and try to understand his strange distance from them, the way he seemed to understand the exorcists... and why he seemed to believe the exorcists were the only ones who could understand _him_.

While she waited, she noted the way that Harry so easily slipped into a meditation of his own. She remembered why he had failed Snape's lessons at Occlumency so horribly. One of the reasons was that he failed pretty badly at what was, effectively, meditation. He could not clear his mind, could not focus, and could not sit still. Now, he was extremely still, and his position and form was the same as Kanda's. His breathing was not as controlled, but he seemed to be the picture of calm anyway.

After a while, she got bored of watching him, so she looked at Kanda, but there was nothing new there. So she looked to her surroundings, and she noticed there were faint gauges in the earth around them. The trees a ways away had almost no bark on the side facing them. She noticed Harry's breathing falling into time with Kanda's own.

When she looked back, they sat near, and their breathing was deep and controlled. Harry sat with his back straight, his legs crossed, all just the same as Kanda. She thought they looked similar, in some strange way. She wasn't sure how. Physically, they didn't look at all alike, and their posture was the same only in form, but not in attitude.

She wasn't sure how long she waited, but she could be patient when she needed to be. Eventually Kanda asked a short, "What?" without opening his eyes.

"... Came by to wish a happy holiday," Harry had taken a moment to answer, so caught up in his own meditation.

"Unnecessary," Kanda shot back.

"Even you couldn't say no to Mrs. Weasly," The corner of Harry's lips twitched upwards. "I come with presents."

One of Kanda's eyes cracked open to glare at Harry, who could probably feel it as his twitch turned into a smirk.

It didn't take long to find what was addressed to Kanda in what remained inside the box. Harry stood and stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh as a couple things popped. He held out the package. Kanda merely glanced from it, to Harry, with a flat look before shutting his eyes again.

"Do you really want me to be forced to go back and tell her you wouldn't open the present she handmade you?" Harry asked, and Ginny knew he was only saying as much to make the other feel guilty, but she was amused nonetheless. "She'll be really sad, Kanda. _Really_ sad."

Kanda opened his eyes and glared again, snatching the present and snapping, "There. I have the damn thing. Now scram."

"You're not going to open it?"

Kanda leveled a put-upon stare at Harry.

"It's just a Christmas present, Kanda, it's not going to bite," Harry rolled his eyes, and when the other didn't move added a, "I promise."

"I don't do Christmas."

"Well, then it's a thank you gift."

A stare off proceeded to happen, and she simply leaned back and watched. She had heard a little about Kanda, not to mention what she knew from staying under the same roof for a while. Harry really did seem to get along at least somewhat well with the other.

Finally, Kanda ripped the present open with one flick of the wrist, and allowed the contents to spill into his lap. He eyed the scarf first. Most of it was the deepest of blacks, but as it tapered off to the end, it slowly shifted to a midnight blue, to royal blue at the ends. It was soft, and it wasn't flashy like Timothy's, or like Miranda's sort of was. It was similar to Bookman's in that it was more meant to be useful rather than pretty, but it was definitely of richer color.

The second thing from the present was a bundled clothe. When held up questioningly, Harry supplied an explanation.

"A cloak, with hood. Charmed to keep out water and extreme temperatures. It's also charmed to repair itself, to an extent. As long as you don't utterly destroy it, it should continue to to repair itself," Harry grinned cheekily, "And it even matches. Black, like usual, right?"

Kanda only grunted. Ginny wondered what he would do, but Harry turned away, reaching into the box and pulling out two letters which he also handed over. Then he motioned towards her, and she stood somewhat reluctantly.

She supposed that the closest thing to a thank you that she would ever see Kanda give was when she saw him wearing the cloak later on when he left for a mission, scarf in hand.

They found Lenalee in the science section when they couldn't find Allen in the cafeteria or his room. Ginny had only ever seen one glimpse of the other girl before, but when she had heard the other was Chinese, she had immediately thought of Cho Chang and of her connection to Harry.

Lenalee was the same age as Ginny, and she was prettier than Cho Chang could ever hope to be. She had a warm, friendly smile when she spotted Harry. It made Ginny's stomach clench a little.

They got closer, and she barely resisted the urge to glower at how short the girls' skirt was. Harry introduced them, and Lenalee's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Harry's talked about you," Lenalee told her with a similarly friendly smile, "It's nice to finally meet you."

"He has, huh?" Ginny asked in surprise, glancing at the boy who was studiously looking away from them both.

"What brings you here on Christmas eve, Harry?" Lenalee questioned when the conversation fell short.

"To play Santa, it seems," He joked, "I would have transfigured this box into a red sack instead if I could have."

"You can't?" She seemed actually interested, which was a dangerous thing to Ginny.

"The magical properties it has that allows it to be so big on the inside makes it a lot more complicated than you might think. If it was just a box, it'd be easy."

Lenalee chuckled slightly, and a passing scientist asked Harry if he had something that would make the science section stink less in his box-that-wasn't-a-sack. It set off a bout of teasing among some of the other scientists. Ginny herself had noticed the rather distinct smell of _men_, but she swore everyone was exaggerating. Just a little.

"Draco has been very insistent that everyone bath regularly," Lenalee's eyes twinkled in mirth, "Some of the scientists didn't like that since sometimes it interferes with their work, so they reached a compromise. As long as they stay here, where I guess there are some charms against bad odors, then they can do as they like."

"Oh, so we're _odors_ now," Another scientist snarked, but then gave himself away by grinning a little.

"Anyways, what was it you came to see me for?" Lenalee asked, and calmly brushed some of her hair behind one ear. Her hands seemed delicate, Ginny thought, but then again, so did her legs. And she had seen those legs at work. Once was all she had needed.

Harry fished around in his box for a brief moment before pulling out the present, which he simply held out to her. She was obviously startled, but she accepted.

"Oh," She blinked, "I – thank you. I didn't expect anything."

"One is from me, the other is from Mrs. Weasly," Harry told her, "I know you never met her personally, but she made one for all the exorcists. She said that she was afraid you guys just aren't thanked enough."

At that, Lenalee looked quite surprised, and then she blushed a little shyly.

"Thanks aren't necessary," She murmured softly, fingering the bow, "We're just doing what we can."

Ginny had mixed feelings about the attitude. She was struck by the fact the other girl seemed genuine – it was no act. She was really embarrassed, really actually more touched than she let on.

"But they're nice to get, aren't they?" Harry asked just as softly, and when their eyes met, some kind of understanding seemed to pass between them. Lenalee smiled a little and Harry just nodded knowingly.

Ginny didn't like it.

"Can I open it here?" Lenalee asked then, just a smidgen excited.

"Nothing stopping you," Harry shrugged nonchalantly.

Lenalee opened it and regarded the scarf in awe. It was a beautiful shade of lavender that had slightly darker shades stripped through it that resembled the markings on a cat, and that you could only see tilted at a certain angle. It was shimmering the same way Miranda's had been, and it brought out her hair. Ginny knew that her mother had labored over the scarves and had gone through her memories many times in order to get good glimpses at what the exorcists looked like to match them.

The other thing in the present was a necklace. It was adjustable to be as tight or loose as the wearer could want, and in the shape of a cross. It was large and made of real silver. She wondered why he would pick something so large, but then Lenalee's fingers found a small latch and it swung open to reveal that it was a locket.

When Lenalee looked back up, her smile was so utterly bright that Ginny was even amazed. She hadn't known someone could beam almost literally.

While she was quietly wondering _why_ Harry had given Lenalee a personal present, she followed him to find their last recipient. He had only chosen to give a present picked out by himself to Lavi, Kanda, and Allen, the ones who had stuck with him throughout the past year. Or, at least, that's what she had thought. And she was pretty sure that Lenalee was the only only other than the other three who did get one.

They found Allen while she was still brooding. They barely caught him in time, as he was just leaving.

"I've been looking for you!" Harry exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Oh, really? I'm sorry," Allen chuckled, "I was helping Jerry for the feast tomorrow."

"Feast?" Harry echoed.

"Yeah," Allen shrugged, "We can't really have a traditional Christmas. I guess that the Order just has a feast on Christmas day, and they eat a really big dinner every day for the week after that."

"You sound like you don't know personally."

"This is my first Christmas at the Order too," He waved around a little, "Or, at least, I hope so. I intend to be back by dinner tomorrow, it's not a big mission."

"I hope you do," Harry set the box at his feet, "But since I won't get the chance, I came here to give out the presents today. Yours is last but not least."

The present Harry held out was started at for a full moment before Allen took it very carefully, as if afraid whatever was inside was fragile.

"Open it," Harry suggested when Allen didn't immediately do so. The slightly glazed look faded from Allen's eyes and he smiled as he did so.

Instead of ripping in into pieces like Lavi or opening one end like Kanda, he was very careful in the way he peeled off the tape and the edges. When he was done, he folded the wrapping paper and slipped it into his pocket.

He regarded the scarf in keen interest. It was of a very nice silvery-blue that was soft, rather than shimmering, but it also showed snow as it whirled around.

"It shows the weather," Harry mentioned, "On top of the standard warming charm and durability."

As Allen handled it, his eyebrows briefly rose in confusion before he slipped something from in between the folds. He held up a key.

"That goes to the present that I got you," Harry added, "Which you'll find in your room whenever you return."

"I see," Allen paused, then slipped the key into his pocket and the scarf around his neck, "Thank you, Harry."

"Just wait until you see my present," Harry grinned a little mischievously.

After Allen left, Ginny couldn't help but ask what the present was.

"It's a pensieve," The other shut the box tightly, "inside a command operated lock-box that can shrink."

"Harry, he can't use a pensieve without a wand," She pointed out slowly.

"Special pensieve," Harry stood up straight, "Memories don't really need to accessed with a wand, you know."

She didn't, and she was fairly sure he probably hadn't either before he'd looked into it.

"I figure that out of everybody, he could use it the most."

Later on, both she and Harry attended dinner. They sat with Lenalee and Lavi, and partway in, Timothy appeared and forced his way into the conversation. Ginny actually enjoyed it, even with the irritation at how Harry had gone out of his way with Lenalee.

Part way through dinner, Komui appeared, and his eyes and demeanor were both different from earlier.

"Lenalee, I need you to prepare to leave immediately," He said authoritatively, "I've received news that Allen may need a little backup where he's going."

"Alright, brother," Lenalee nodded, her eyes more serious as the mirth in them faded away, "I'll be just a moment."

Komui swept away. Lenalee only took a few more bites of her food before she had to say goodbye to them. She turned to Ginny and gave a fleeting smile.

"It was really nice to meet you," She said, "It would be nice to see you again sometime."

Ginny only nodded, taken aback not by the change in attitude, but in the air around her. It was suddenly much heavier. Out of all of them, Lenalee had been the least strange, the least _otherworldly_, but there it was.

Sh watched the other leave, and as she did so, she was able to see the way the 'Finders' parted for Lenalee, the way that her eyes were hard when she saw Komui waiting for her again. The way those strange bands around her ankles seemed to glow briefly and flash in the light, just faintly.

Ginny wasn't sure what it was about that moment. She didn't think that anything in particular stood out to her besides the obvious. But she quietly thought that maybe she understood, just a little. Maybe it was the others back, or maybe it was her walk. But it reminded her of Harry. Of watching him circle Voldemort, wand raised. Of how he fell and died with the same proud set of shoulders and a tilt to his lips. Of how he had _known_ he was walking towards his death, and had done it anyway.

But it was a strange, fleeting comparison that she didn't fully understand or appreciate, and when she tried to grasp it again, it slipped between her fingers.

She was used to seeing the exorcists as Harry's guards and protectors. Not as saviors in their own right, in their own home.

Harry was different. He wasn't impossible to understand, now, but he was _different_, and the real question was whether Harry would let her understand this other him. She didn't know if he would, if he even could.

Either way, the exorcists were something new, something different in a different way, and she realized they were simple people living not-so-simple lives. They were doing what they could to save the world in their own way. They didn't get a break, not for Christmas and certainly not because they wanted one. All their struggles were of the silent kind. So few knew about the Order and the exorcists. Had they _ever_ been thanked properly? She didn't know, and it was a sad thing. She wanted to change this. She almost felt that if she could change things for the exorcists, she was changing things for Harry.

And if the exorcists walked into their rooms sometime Christmas day and found a new present or card, well, that was just one step closer.

* * *

A/N: Christmas present indeed! That took forever to finish! I think this is longer than any chapter in TAFD, except _maybe _one, and I have severe doubts about that. It's now almost five in the morning and I started _hours_ ago. So I'm gone.

I hope that everyone who celebrates it has a Merry Christmas, and those that don't, still has an awesome time! (And any variation of Christmas or holiday that happens around this time).


	8. Time Of The Month

A/N: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Usually I've been updating Indivisible because any new ideas with DGMxHP I try to integrate into that one, but some of them don't quite fit...

Anyways, this one is when Harry is at the Order the first time without Ron or Hermione, which starts around chapter 20/21 or so. They were probably there for a while, so I don't have an _exact_ time, but it's safe to say Harry has been there a little while. It is something of a mix – slightly Karina001's idea(It's not the _first _time...), a tiny bit of something for The Hungry Hybrid(It's not first person, so is it still considered his POV?), and a little something for myself also ^^; Kanda IS my favorite XD My original idea included Lupin bonding after the end of TAFD... and then I remembered when I sat down to write it that Lupin's dead then, which made me rather sad. So I had to modify the idea, sadly.

It's short. It's probably not OVERLY amusing. It did vaguely amuse _me_ at first though.

Most people don't know about Kanda's 'condition'. He knows that they avoid him because they're intimidated by his normal presence and not because they somehow, inexplicably, know about his newest curse. Komui knows. The beansprout and the annoying Bookman junior knows. Even the pipsqueak wizard knows. He's not sure if Lenalee does, she has this funny thing of somehow always finding out things she shouldn't, but enough people know and he'd be even happier if _nobody_ knew.

It's kind of hard to hide a werewolf though.

His second transformation goes easier than the first and fortunately there is no akuma around for him to worry about. Unfortunately, there's no akuma to focus on. That means that when he finds himself in the wild forest around the Order, he's assaulted by smells and sounds and instincts that he can't really suppress in his attempt to _live_.

He tries to keep the entire thing quiet. Nobody had seemed to realize the full moon had been sneaking up, and even he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't felt it in his very bones. It made him more irritable than normal but most of the Finders and people he didn't get along with generally couldn't tell the difference. Slowly, the walls begin to feel like they're closing in on him and he develops an itch between his shoulder blades that just won't go away. The noise seems louder than usual, and the smell from the science section has become rather offensive. When finally he can't take it anymore, he goes outside to wait for the moon to rise.

It starts with a feeling that he's being squeezed into a tiny ball, which surprises him. Then he feels like he's suddenly claustrophobic, like there's not enough room for him. He's itchy, he's restless, he's impatient.

The fur feels terrible for a few moments and the sensation of having his bones broken and healed in a few short minutes with little to no pain is completely new. He hates feeling his mind slip away the most. Something rises up – something that is usually little more than a whisper or a growl in the back of his mind – and it takes a hold with a vice grip. Then there's this cool feeling from somewhere even deeper inside, and slowly his mind starts to piece itself back together. The next thing he knows, he's on the ground of the forest floor as a big black wolf.

That bit of _something_ that almost pushes his mind away angers him. He hates it. He's sure it's his 'core' that keeps him sane. It's symbol hovers over his chest just as it had the first time. He doesn't know how it keeps him sane, doesn't even know what it _is_, but he's in no position to ask.

He does entertain the idea of waltzing up to Komui and trying to ask, though, if only for the look on his face.

Then again, Komui probably wouldn't know. If anyone, he'd ask that idiot Bak Chan – he's the one with the most free access to the necessary files.

He's pretty sure, several hours later, that nobody has either noticed, or cared, that he was gone. That suited him just fine. People didn't generally seek him out anyway.

Unfortunately, there happens to be one person in the Order who makes Kanda's business his own, and he also tends to seek out his company if for no other reason than to annoy him.

"Hey, Yu~!" Lavi calls out into the trees, "I know you're out there somewhere. I think. Where else would you be? So come out here. Don't make me go looking for you!"

Kanda snorts and stays where he is; lounging amongst the underbrush around the edge of the training circle that doesn't get often used.

"I'm serious," Lavi pouts, "Come on, Reever said he saw you on the golem camera's not that long ago!"

That gave Kanda pause. The scientist wouldn't know Kanda if he saw him.

"The scientists are semi-freaked. Johnny's running around yelling about a big black wolf and some guy swears you're as big as a bear. That got everyone claiming that you're some kind of ghost or demon, or something horrible like that, and Komui's not happy that we didn't tell him about your... you know... 'time of the month.'"

He snarls from his spot before he's able to stop himself. Then decides 'what the hell?' and lunges at the redhead, who gives an impressive squeak just before he falls.

Lavi stares at the large fangs in his face and gulps, "Oh come on. You wouldn't bite me, would you? I'm, like, your best friend..."

Kanda growls. It's a pretty obvious 'The hell you are' kind of growl, and Junior gets the gist of it well enough.

"Look," He starts, "Komui wants to know if you're... um... sane? Or uh... aware?... In other words, are you going to bite off peoples heads if they venture outside?"

Kanda stares down at the other. He'd have a very exasperated face if only a wolves face was expressive enough.

"I guess if _I_ still have my head, probably everyone's safe, right?" Lavi rolls his eyes, "Except maybe the beansprout. I'll tell him to stay indoors during the full-moon from now on, how's that?"

Kanda snorts again and sits up. He then sits directly on Lavi's chest; he's completely aware how heavy he probably is, and watching the other wheeze a little is rather amusing. His tail wraps around himself and he glances into the forest before looking at the entrance back into the castle.

"Are you planning on staying out here all night?" The other asks. One look is all he needs to communicate the answer to that. "Alrighty then. Point taken. I'll tell Harry you said hands off the merchandise, since it is the first time he gets that room to himself... lucky kid."

He glares and flares his nose, his tail thumping down to partly whack the other in the face.

"Hey," Lavi holds his hands up in surrender, "I'm just sayin' that a lot of people wonder what the heck is in your room, okay? There were even _bets_ about whether Harry would live through his first night in there."

Kanda rolls his eyes.

"You know, I think I actually like this," Lavi grinned, "I mean, with you unable to talk, there's no threats on my life, no insults... you don't even have hands to hold Mugan with!"

Kanda flashes his fangs again to remind the idiot that he's not weaponless, and his claws dig into the others shoulders.

"It's almost like it really _is_ your time of the month, except more pleasant."

Lavi flinches away from the teeth that snap at his face. He decides that taunting a wolf who's literally _on top of him _is not one of his smartest plans.

Harry glances up when he hears a soft murmur that quickly grows louder. A group passes him, all breaking out into laughter just as they pass. While Allen wonders aloud what's going on, Lenalee glances into the cafeteria and spots them, her eyes lighting up.

"Lenalee!" Allen greets enthusiastically, "The science section seems pretty lively tonight."

"Oh yes," Lenalee giggles slightly behind her hand, "I'm just on my way to help out someone who got themselves into a bit of a bind."

"What happened?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing again at the scientists.

"Want to come with me and find out?" She smiles a little devilishly – an expression he's never seen on her face before and judging by the slightly disturbed one on Allen, it's one the other hasn't seen either. It definitely looks a little strange.

"I'm suddenly very wary," Allen's eyebrows drew in and he slowly leaned back. "It's something stupid isn't it?"

"You could say that," Lenalee giggles again, turning away and starting towards the exit. Harry shares a look with Allen; then, they both shrug and follow.

They actually go outside, surprising both of them. What could the scientists have been laughing about from inside? But as they drew closer, a golem fluttered up before them and jerked around somewhat wildly. Harry realized it was a sort of camera when Lenalee admonished it and he heard Reever's voice come from it.

"Sorry. By the time I found out, quite a few people already saw," The head scientist replied slightly sheepishly, "At the very least, there's no more panic about a 'monster lurking in the forest.'"

"... It's a full moon tonight," Harry realized when he looked up. His eyes widened and he felt suddenly very concerned. He hadn't even realized...

"Yes, Komui reminded me as much earlier," Allen confided, "I had forgotten also. I'm not sure why he was particularly annoyed though. What's this about a monster?"

Reever explained it to them; about the fast moving rumor of the giant wolf that had been spotted lurking around and the superstitions a lot of people had.

"I have this horrible feeling this is, indeed, very stupid," Allen sighed.

They reached the seldom-used training circle within minutes. And when they did, Harry had to laugh. Lenalee giggled and although Allen sighed and tried to look very put-upon, he had to hide his smirk behind his hand.

For, tied to the training pole that stuck straight into the air quite a ways, was Lavi. In nothing but his underwear. Upside down. With mud splattered over his chest.

And at the base of the pole sat a very satisfied looking wolf, tail covered in mud.

"How very childish," Allen shook his head and rolled his eyes, "It's not even funny."

A wad of mud missed the exorcist by inches.

"How did you _do_ that?" Harry wondered in confusion, "Is that... even possible?"

"I don't even _know_," Lavi grumbled.

"How can you not know?" Allen's mouth twitched towards a grin before settling down, "I know you only have one eye, Lavi, but surely you'd know how _this_ happened."

"You would think so," Lavi whined, "Will you just get me down from here? It was totally uncalled for!"

"What did you even do?" Lenalee asked as her Innocence came to life and she rose to his height.

"I was just teasing him about his 'time of the month,'" Lavi pouted, "I mean, seriously."

For a moment, Lenalee looked as if she were going to hesitate untieing him, and Harry is sure that if she pays a little less attention towards his landing it's no surprise.

"That's only funny the first time," Allen chuckled, "Let me guess – you kept it up?"

Lavi grumbled and wondered where his clothes were.

After that, it wasn't strange to hear the tale of the Big Black Wolf that tied up Bookman Junior, stripped him, and covered him in mud. As much as it amused Kanda – especially since most people didn't know he _is_ the Big Black Wolf – he was more satisfied by the fact that Lavi learned not to tease him when he's a wolf. Suddenly threats were much more welcoming than public humiliation.

That, and nobody made fun of him for his Time Of The Month ever again.


End file.
